Department for Transport

Large Goods Vehicles: Safety

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 29 November (HL11551), whether the impact assessment into whether to retrofit sideguard to specific heavy goods vehiclestook into account the extra casualties that may occur by excluding retrofitting of sideguards to lorries.

baroness sugg: The analysis on whether to require retro fitting of sideguards on specific heavy goods vehicles took into account the potential reduction in casualties. A consultation on the changes to the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 is planned for 2019.

Railways: Investment

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total new investment in UK railways since privatisation by (1) Network Rail and its predecessor, and (2) train operating companies.

baroness sugg: There are no figures available covering the entire period since privatisation. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published statistics on private-sector investment in rail in Great Britain since 2006-07. Private investment is at record levels, totalling £8.3bn over this period, with £6.7bn in the last decade. The figures can be found online at the link below: http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/a1bcb53b-9914-4d7d-9d57-0187cd27e59b These figures cover all private investment, not just that made by train operating companies. However, the largest category of investment is in rolling stock, which train operators fund though lease payments. Network Rail has received a government grant since 2001-02 to support its investment in the rail network. The annual amounts are published by the ORR (within the ‘Direct Rail Support’ column of this table) at the link below: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/a830de20-83bf-408d-9c22-7f3ec23999f9

A21

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for further improvements to, and investment in, the A21 road over the nextfive years.

baroness sugg: Highways England currently has five improvement schemes on the A21 planned in the next six to twelve months: Resurfacing of A21 Moat Lane to A2100 BaldslowResurfacing of A21 Sevenoaks Bypass – South Bound Onslip from A25 Westerham RoadResurfacing of A21 with A26 Slip Road, West BoundResurfacing of A21 Hurst Green to Northbridge StreetRepairs to A21 Riverhead structure To inform decisions about investment schemes in the period 2020 to 2025, under the second Road Investment Strategy, the Government is using the evidence it has gathered about local priorities such as the A21. Those decisions will be confirmed in late 2019.

Railways: Bexhill

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on proposals to electrify the Bexhill to Ashford railway line; and when they expect a new direct fast service to London from Bexhill to commence.

baroness sugg: Development work is underway on a new connection at Ashford between High Speed 1 and the Marshlink line, with the aim of improving journey times in the Hastings area. Network Rail reports that work is 80% complete at the design stage. The delivery of the new connection is subject to both identifying a feasible option and funding being secured for it. Design is expected to be complete in January 2019 and will be followed by estimating activity and completion of the business case in February 2019. Electrification of the railway between Ore and Ashford forms Phase 3 of the High Speed to Hastings & Bexhill initiative (the railway between Bexhill and Ore is already electrified to 750v DC). Currently no funding has been provided for the development of this phase, however bi-mode rolling stock can deliver the desired journey time reductions without incurring the high costs and disruption of electrification.

High Speed Two: Resignations

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the delivery of HS2 of the resignation of Sir Terry Morgan as chairman.

baroness sugg: The Government announced on 5 December that Allan Cook CBE DSc has been appointed as the new Chair of HS2 Ltd. Mr Cook is a chartered engineer with more than 40 years’ international experience in the infrastructure, automotive, aerospace and defence industries. HS2 has made impressive progress in the past 18 months. The regeneration of the West Midlands and Curzon Street in Birmingham are now well underway.HS2 Ltd continues to work with its supply chain partners ahead of main construction work on Phase 1, and is working to deliver services from London to Birmingham from 2026 in line with the target delivery date.

Crossrail and High Speed Two: Resignations

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a severance package has been offered to Sir Terry Morgan following his resignation as chairman of HS2 and Crossrail; and if so, what are the details of that package.

baroness sugg: Sir Terry Morgan resigned from his position as Chair. There will be no severance payment.

High Speed Two

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have tochangethe management of HS2 to address reported delays and budget overspends.

baroness sugg: There are no plans to make any changes to the management team of HS2 Ltd. We are determined for HS2 to be delivered within the £55.7bn (2015 prices) funding envelope.

Railways: Freight

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many strategic rail freight interchanges have secured planning consent since the designation of the National Policy Statement for National Networks.

baroness sugg: Since the designation of the National Policy Statement for National Networks, one application for a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange scheme has been granted Development Consent under the Planning Act 2008.

Railways: Freight

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which strategic rail freight interchanges are being brought forward through (1) the nationally significant infrastructure projects, and (2) Town and Country Planning Act 1990 routes.

baroness sugg: There are currently three live applications for Development Consent Orders submitted under the Planning Act 2008 for Strategic Rail Freight Interchange schemes. Details of these can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website at the link below: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/

Railways: Freight

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what role strategic rail freight interchanges will play in delivering (1) the Clean Air Strategy's objectives, and (2) national modal shift targets from road to rail.

baroness sugg: The Rail Freight Strategy places emphasis on the Government’s support for modal shift from road to rail due to the environmental benefits and reduced emissions achieved by rail freight relative to road. The Clean Air Strategy also recognises that rail transport is a cleaner form of transport which makes a small contribution to poor air quality when compared to road haulage. Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges (SRFIs) are important in facilitating the transfer of freight from road to rail as well as reducing the cost to users of moving freight by rail.

Railways: Overseas Trade

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the statement in the Rail Sector Deal will enable the sector’s capability to trade internationally; whether to this end they will remain in compliance with European Union Agency for Railways' standards and procedures; and if not, what alternative standards and procedures would be used.

baroness sugg: The Rail Sector Deal includes a number of measures to improve the sector’s capability to trade internationally. The Rail Industry will map UK rail supply chain strengths and weaknesses and align this to an analysis of overseas opportunities to better target its export activities. The sector will also deliver an export mentoring and secondment programme, to strengthen exporting ability. After exiting the EU, the UK will have the flexibility to align with or diverge from new technical standards developed by the European Union Agency for Railways within a domestic standards framework. However, this does not mean that we wish to remove the UK from international norms in rail technical and safety standards. We will only diverge where there are clear arguments for doing so and after engaging fully with industry to assess the impact, while complying with our COTIF obligations, as well as the terms of a future UK-EU agreement.

Railways: Bicycles

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what incentives they use during the franchise bidding process to encourage Train Operating Companies to improve facilities for carrying bicycles on trains.

baroness sugg: The Department recognises the value in the integrated use of cycles and trains, which are two convenient and environmentally friendly forms of transport. The Department, Network Rail and train operators are working to provide adequate bicycle facilities to encourage passengers to use bikes from the start to finish of their journeys. We expect our franchisees to ensure that their trains meet the needs of their passengers - including the storage of cycles and luggage - with appropriate interior layouts and seating configurations. Where the Department identifies a specific need, it sets requirements on its franchisees to provide space on its trains for the carriage of bicycles.

Railways: Compensation

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Train Operating Companies are not covered by the Delay Repay compensation scheme; and when those companies are expected to jointhat scheme.

baroness sugg: Great Western Railway offers compensation under a Traditional Passenger’s Charter and is not covered by the Delay Repay compensation scheme. Chiltern Railway also operates under a traditional Passenger’s Charter plus a limited form of Delay Repay with exclusions. The Department for Transport has asked a number of DfT-franchised train operating companies, including Great Western Railway, for proposals to implement Delay Repay before their contract expires and will introduce Delay Repay if the proposals are affordable and represent value for money for taxpayers. It is anticipated that Great Western Railway will introduce Delay Repay in 2019. Delay Repay from 15 minutes (DR15) will be included in the specification for all new DfT franchises in future. This will include the renewal of Chiltern Railway’s franchise.

Aviation

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government when Ministers last met (1) representatives of the Thomas Cook Group, and (2) other airline and airport representatives; and following those meetings, what assessment they have made of the market for aviation services.

baroness sugg: Ministers regularly meet with airlines and airport representatives, including those from Thomas Cook Group. The last such meeting took place on the 6th December as part of a wider event with the aviation sector. Assessments of the market for aviation services are made on a continuous basis.

Transport

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government which organisations and individuals responded to their consultation Future of Mobility, published on 30 July;and when they expect to publish their conclusions.

baroness sugg: A total of 226 organisations and individuals responded to the Future of Mobility call for evidence. The Government is currently reviewing the submissions and intends to publish its response in early 2019. A list of the 142 responding organisations is provided in the attached Annex. Personal information relating to the 84 individuals has not been provided.



Annex
(Word Document, 18.92 KB)

Transport: North of England

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the analysis by theInstitute for Public Policy Research Northof government spending on transport between 2013–14 and 2017–18, which concludes that transport spending has risen by twice as much per person in London as in the North; and what steps they intend to take to redress the balance.

baroness sugg: The IPPR North’s report makes use of the Government’s Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) statistics, which are official figures for public sector expenditure on transport at a regional level. These attempt to provide statistical allocations of public spending according to where the benefits of that spend are accrued, although the complexity of transport networks means that it is not always possible to allocate transport spending on a ‘who benefits’ basis. Where this is the case, expenditure has been apportioned based on actual regional spend rather than where the benefit lies. This is particularly relevant for highways. Spend is also presented per head of local population, so this does not take account of the number of non-residents using the transport infrastructure. The latest CRA statistics, published by HM Treasury on 20th November 2018, are presented in the table below: Public sector expenditure on transport per capita (£s nominal) % change over 5 year period 2013/14 to 2017/18The North (NE, NW, Y&H)+64%London+56% Note - In 2015/16, Network Rail was reclassified into the public sector and the full extent of their expenditure was included. The benefits from spend on transport interventions will often accrue to people far beyond the residents of the immediate local area or region. When expenditure is presented on a “per head of population” (or “per capita”) basis, it does not account for the pressure that large numbers of commuters and visitors from outside of a region can add to the transport networks. For example, central London receives over 1 million arrivals by train during a typical day, many of which will come from outside the region. Higher investment figures looked at in isolation do not tell the full story, for example those travelling to and from London are more likely to experience crowding on their rail journeys. The statistics do not directly reflect Government’s investment decisions. Investment decisions are made based on a rigorous and fair appraisal process that allocates spending to the projects and programmes where it delivers the greatest value-for-money for taxpayers and passengers. For these reasons, the Department does not allocate funding to transport on a ‘per head of population’ basis. As part of a commitment in the Transport Investment Strategy, the Department recently published the Rebalancing Toolkit, which provides guidance on how the Department assesses how a programme or project fits with the objective of spreading growth across the country. We are committed to improving journeys for passengers in the North and are carrying out the biggest investment in transport in the region for a generation. Between 2015 and 2020 the Government will have spent over £13bn improving and modernising Northern transport.

Railway Stations: Parking

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have conducted a capacity assessment of rail passenger car parking facilities; and what obligations they place on Network Rail to make adequate provision for car parking facilities.

baroness sugg: Determining the required capacity at existing stations is an operational matter for the relevant station operator. In most cases this is the franchised train operator; it is the responsibility of Network Rail at the 20 stations it manages. Through franchise agreements, the Department may set out specific requirements in relation to car park facilities at stations where we deem it appropriate. More generally, we expect train operating companies and Network Rail to deliver facilities and an environment at stations which supports customer needs and experience. This requires working pro-actively with local partners to ensure the station is fully integrated with wider transport infrastructure, enabling appropriate access to and from the station at all times. The promoter of a new station or enhancement project may conduct a capacity assessment of car parking facilities at a station on a case by case basis to inform requirements of the proposed scheme.

Transport

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they require stakeholders in the transport sector to sign non-disclosure agreements before engaging with officials on Brexit-related issues.

baroness sugg: We regularly work with businesses and stakeholders to ensure they are prepared for our exit from the EU. This engagement includes ministerial and official-level industry roundtables, events and forums, many of which have not been covered by non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). NDAs have, however, been used where appropriate to protect the commercial interests of businesses and to facilitate close working and open discussion between the Department and stakeholders.

Railways: North of England

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding from the EU has been allocated to improving TransPennine rail infrastructure and servicessince 2010; and what conditions, if any, relating to rail freight were attached to such funding.

baroness sugg: The EU awarded funding from the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) programme for two projects on the trans-Pennine route between Liverpool and York, both of which are in service. The final total allocation from the EU was €31,239,501 for both projects since 2010. There were no conditions relating to rail freight attached to the funding.

London City Airport: Scotland

lord forsyth of drumlean: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 10 December (HL11929), whether they undertook an assessment ofBritish Airways fares and service availability between Scotland and London City airport in order to reach the conclusion that passengers are best served by the current policy.

baroness sugg: No such assessment has been made. Airlines operate in a commercial market, and it is for them to determine which airports they operate based on their own assessment of costs and passenger demand. Government cannot dictate to airlines which services they operate or get involved in regulating the level of fares set by airlines operating in the UK.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

USA: TripAdvisor

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether embassy or consulate staff in the United States have discussed damaging or malicious online comments posted on TripAdvisor about hotel or catering services based in the United States with representatives of such services; and if not, whether they intend to do so.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Staff of the British Embassy and British Consulates in the United States have not discussed this issue with representatives of these services and there are no current plans to do so. ​

NATO: Audit

lord jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with NATO headquarters concerning the (1) challenges, and (2) scope for further improvements to NATO's financial audits in response to a presentation from the International Board of Auditors for NATO to NATO on 24 March.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We believe NATO needs to move faster on implementing the International Board of Auditors for NATO (IBAN) recommendations. Some progress is being made. As a result of the recent Functional Review of the NATO HQ nations have agreed additional resources to address areas of weakness identified in risk management, internal audit and internal control. But there is currently no consensus among allies on how to proceed with IBAN’s Financial Performance audit recommendations. We have requested a NATO scoping paper setting out how the organisation intends to address some of the points raised and will continue to press for faster progress on implementing IBAN recommendations.

Saudi Arabia: Foreign Relations

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions the Prime Minister has had with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia; and whether they will consider imposing sanctions on Saudi Arabia.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: On 30 November the Prime Minister met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of ensuring those responsible for the appalling murder of Jamal Khashoggi are held to account, and that Saudi Arabia takes action to build confidence that such a deplorable incident could not happen again.On Yemen the Prime Minister set out the urgent need to bring an end to the conflict and bring relief to millions threatened by famine. The Prime Minister stressed that the humanitarian situation remained dire and reaffirmed UK commitment to making progress on improving the situation, including through a UN Security Council Resolution.We continue to explore with EU partners the potential for an EU global human rights sanctions regime, which could address human rights violations.

Department for Education

Children: Gambling

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toeducate parents about (1) the potential risks of gambling-related harm, and (2) how to support and help their children to avoid such harm.

lord agnew of oulton: The government’s Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures included the announcement of a multi-million pound safer gambling advertising campaign, aimed at raising public awareness of the risks around gambling and signposting to support. The campaign will be funded by industry and led by GambleAware, an independent charity which commissions research, education and treatment of gambling-related harms. GambleAware’s delivery plan for 2018-20 sets out steps it will take around education and harm-prevention, including developing and promoting a ‘knowledge hub’ of resources and guidance for teachers and those who work with young people, working with agencies that support young people’s mental health and encouraging parents to have conversations with their children about safer gambling behaviour. Schools are expected to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. We know that some schools choose to teach about gambling and addiction in an age-appropriate way, as part of their Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. The non-statutory PSHE programme of study, published by the PSHE Association includes teaching about gambling (including online) and its psychological and financial impact.The consultation to make relationships education compulsory in all primary schools; relationships and sex education compulsory in all secondary schools; and health education in all state-funded schools, closed on 7 November and a thorough engagement process has informed the key decisions on the content of these subjects. The draft content also addresses online behaviour and mental wellbeing. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation before finalising the regulations and guidance.

Primary Education: Free School Meals

baroness boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the £2.30 currently allocated under the universal infant free school meals grant for each child receiving school lunches is spent on food.

lord agnew of oulton: For universal infant free school meals, the £2.30 per meal rate is provided to schools via a direct grant. This covers the cost of raw materials as well as other fixed costs associated with providing the meals. It is for schools to decide how to allocate their budgets in order to provide these meals.

Regional School Commissioners

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to make the work of Regional School Commissioners open to the public.

lord agnew of oulton: The work of Regional School Commissioners (RSCs) is open to the public. The RSCs decision-making framework, attached, is published online and can be found at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/577885/RSC_decision_making_framework_December_2016.pdf.This framework describes their roles, responsibilities and parameters. It clarifies the core functions of RSCs and gives further detail on the decisions they might take in different scenarios. All decisions made by RSCs are made on the advice (and challenge) of headteacher boards (HTBs) at regular monthly meetings. During each HTB meeting, a meeting note of all the decisions is taken and later published on GOV.UK. Following my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State’s undertaking at the last National Association of Head Teachers conference in May 2018, the Department for Education has implemented a number of HTB transparency measures. These measures include a restructuring of the HTB information content on GOV.UK so that information about these boards is more accessible and easier to find. This can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/headteacher-boards. The department has also published a schedule of future HTB meeting dates and it is publishing draft agendas of these meetings. This will ensure that members of the public know in advance, when and what will be discussed at HTB meetings. The department has also published blank HTB meeting preparation templates. These give members of the public an idea of the types of data and information that feed into the decisions that RSCs make. 



HL12196_RSC_decision_making_framework
(PDF Document, 364.96 KB)

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Bills: Parliamentary Scrutiny

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Government’s response to the report of the Constitution Committee, Parliament and the Legislative Process, published on 20 April 2005 (HL Paper 114), whether the Procedure Committee will consider the recommendation that bills should normally be committed after Second Reading to a committee empowered to take evidence.

lord mcfall of alcluith: In 2005, when it responded to the Constitution Committee’s report, Parliament and the Legislative Process, the Government was “not convinced that it would be appropriate to commit all bills which have not been scrutinised in draft to an evidence-taking committee after Second Reading but we are ready to consider this option in exceptional circumstances (and have done in the past).”  I am aware that the idea that bills should normally be committed after Second Reading to a committee empowered to take evidence is under fresh consideration by the Constitution Committee as part of its current inquiry on the legislative process, stage 2 of which is covering the passage of legislation through Parliament. Written and oral evidence received as part of that inquiry is available here - https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/constitution-committee/inquiries/parliament-2017/legislative-process/. I am looking forward to the Committee’s report and any recommendations it might make on this and other matters. The Procedure Committee will give it due consideration then.

Palace of Westminster: Fire Regulations

lord blencathra: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment he has made of the impact of the manual fire safety call points on the visual appearance of the Palace of Westminster; and what consideration was given to alternative means of advertising call points and fire safety instructions in keeping with the heritage of the Palace.

lord laming: The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chairman of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.The “totem” manual fire safety call points are designed for highly significant interiors within the Palace, where fixing escape signs and manual call points to the historic fabric is not acceptable. Following consultation with Historic England, it was agreed that free standing signage was the best option in those spaces, to reduce physical impact on the Palace.The patinated brass finish used in the frame was chosen to blend in with the timber joinery and reference the Victorian brass fittings found throughout the Palace. The colours used for the signage differ slightly from the British Standards; the colours were chosen to minimise the visual impact on interiors, whilst remaining legible to direct people in the case of an emergency.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Social Rented Housing: Construction

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what steps they are taking to ensure that small and medium sized building firms are able to contribute towards the production of social housing as part of efforts to reducehomelessness and rough sleeping.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government fully recognises the important role small and medium sized house builders (SME) play in delivering the much needed housing in this country, including contributing to social and affordable housing. Our priorities are to boost housing supply and to build more affordable homes, supporting the different needs of a wide range of people and built by a range developers, including SMEs. This is done through over £9 billion Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 which will deliver 250,000 new affordable homes of a wide range of tenures, including social rent. Since 2010, we have delivered over 407,000 new affordable homes, including over 293,000 affordable homes for rent.SMEs also contribute towards the production of affordable housing, including social housing through section 106 agreements with local authorities. The national policy on developer contributions from small sites seeks to strike a balance between increasing self-build and small-scale housing development, while recognising the role of section 106 in helping to provide affordable housing. We continue to provide support to SMEs to build more homes through the £2.5 billion Home Building Fund’s short-term fund, a £1 billion SME guarantees scheme announced at Budget 2018 and changes to the small sites policy in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to bringinto force those parts of the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 not yet commenced.

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to bringinto force those parts of the Localism Act 2011 not yet commenced.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Government is yet to confirm coming into force dates for the remaining provisions in the Localism Act 2011 and Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 that have not already been commenced or had commencement dates confirmed.

Ministry of Defence

Military Aircraft: Procurement

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the purchase of V-22 Osprey aircraft to enable air to air refuelling and engine replacement for F-35B aircraft has been addressed as part of the Modernising Defence Initiative.

earl howe: The V-22 Osprey is not part of the current resourced plan to deliver the UK Carrier Strike capability. However, Defence will continue to explore a variety of options to augment the capabilities of the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers in future.I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 7 June 2018 to Question HL 8470.



Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
(Word Document, 26.2 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Christmas Bonus

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the total cost of paying the Christmas bonus to all pensioners is spent on administration.

baroness buscombe: Both Pensioners and working age people in receipt of certain benefits receive the Christmas Bonus. Christmas Bonus payments are usually automatically generated based on receipt of a qualifying benefit. The cost of doing this is not separately identifiable from the administrative costs of the qualifying benefits.

Age Addition

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total annual cost to taxpayers of paying the Age Addition to state pensions for pensioners over age 80.

baroness buscombe: The estimated cost to the tax payer of government paying the age addition to the State Pension for people over 80 for the tax year 17/18 was £44.8 million.

Age Addition

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the total cost of paying the Age Addition to pensioners is spent on administration.

baroness buscombe: Pensioners receive an additional 25p per week following their 80th birthday, this is known as Age Addition, and is payable with State Pension. The cost of doing this is not separately identifiable from the administration costs of State Pension

Pensions: Consumer Information

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that pension data is accurate and reliable before it is loaded onto a Pensions Dashboard.

baroness buscombe: The Pensions Dashboard feasibility study was published on the 3 of December and can be found attached. The consultation runs to January 2019 and all interested parties are invited to respond. All pension providers have a responsibility to maintain high quality member data. Any activity to maintain or improve data quality will need to be progressed by providers before their data can be used on dashboards. There is already a significant amount of on-going work among providers of different types of schemes, in many cases working with The Pensions Regulator, to improve data quality. The proposed industry delivery group will work with providers and schemes, including with the regulators where necessary, to set data standards and ensure that work takes place to meet these. 



Pensions Dashboard Feasibility study 
(PDF Document, 682.31 KB)

Occupational Pensions

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to ask the Pensions Regulator to require regular reconciliation and reporting on accuracy of auto-enrolment pensions data.

baroness buscombe: Automatic enrolment has been a great success, with over 9.9 million employees enrolled and more than 1.3 million employers having met their duties to date. Government has put in place a robust, proportionate compliance framework. This is administered by The Pensions Regulator, and includes detailed regulatory guidance about how to comply with the law. An employer is required to select a qualifying pension scheme; enrol qualifying staff into that scheme, and deduct any contributions payable under automatic enrolment. Qualifying pension schemes for automatic enrolment are subject to the same regulatory framework as all trust-based workplace pension schemes, also overseen by The Pensions Regulator. The Regulator has published codes of practice on its website setting out how trustees of defined contribution pension schemes and managers of personal pension schemes should monitor the payment of contributions; provide information to help members check their contributions; and report material payment failures to the Regulator. The regulatory regime is designed so that errors can be identified and material failures can be reported, the Regulator can then require restitution; and, where necessary, make use of its enforcement powers. The Government keeps all aspects of automatic enrolment under regular review but has no plans to make changes to the compliance framework at this time.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Domestic Violence

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the domestic violence and abuse easement to Jobseeker's Allowance has been applied for each year since 2012, including 2018 to date, in(1) England, (2) Wales, and (3) Scotland.

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the domestic violence and abuse easement to Universal Credit work-related requirements has been applied to date in (1) England, (2) Wales, and (3) Scotland.

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the child distress easement to Universal Credit work-related requirements has been applied to date in (1) England, (2) Wales,and (3) Scotland.

baroness buscombe: The Department does not centrally record information on specific easements applied to individual claimants.

Carer's Allowance

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the (1) average, and (2) maximum time that payment of carer's allowance is withheld during a financial review.

baroness buscombe: Carer’s Allowance claims do not involve a formal financial review. There will be occasions where payment is suspended whilst investigations into a particular aspect of the claim take place. How long suspensions last will depend on each individual case and are often dependent upon how quickly the carer can provide the additional information requested.

British Nationals Abroad: Italy

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Buscombe on 3 December (HL11577), whether UK citizens who have retired, or are planning to retire, in Italy will continue to receive the annual increase in their state pensions after the UK leaves the European Union.

baroness buscombe: The UK State Pension is payable worldwide. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, we now have the basis on which to maintain State Pension up-rating once the UK exits the EU, for those who are already receiving their UK State Pension as well as future UK State Pension recipients. We will wish to discuss State Pension up-rating for individuals not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement in future talks.

Home Office

Motorcycles: Crime

viscount goschen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the level of crime involving the use of motorcycles.

baroness williams of trafford: Reports of crimes involving motorcycles, mopeds and scooters are clearly a concern. The Government has been determined to ensure that everything was being done to support police efforts to tackle this threat. That is why we brought the police, industry, local government, civil society groups and others together to see what more could be done to prevent offending and keep the public safe.This work sits alongside the Government’s consultation on police pursuits, which seeks to give police greater confidence to pursue suspects and will help tackle these crimes. The consultation closed on 13 August and we will set out the next steps shortly.

Asylum: Employment

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of theproposal fromthe Lift the Ban coalition to permit asylum seekers to seek employment six months after arriving in the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it and this Government is committed to delivering a fair and humane asylum system.Our current policy is consistent with EU law and asylum seekers are permitted to work, in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, if they have been waiting for a decision on their claim for 12 months or more and the delay is through no fault of their own. This approach aims to maintain the distinction between those who need protection and those who want to come to the UK to work, who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. It is essential that we avoid creating further incentives for migrants to come here illegally, risking their lives in the process, instead of claiming asylum in the first safe country they reach.The Government is considering recent calls to change the current policy and reviewing the evidence available. Additionally, we are tackling delays in decision making and have plans in place to improve the speed at which outstanding claims are decided.

Immigration

lord willoughby de broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make criticism of immigration a criminal offence.

baroness williams of trafford: There are no plans to make criticism of immigration a specific criminal offence.

Immigration

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect net migration to reduce to under 100,000 per year.

baroness williams of trafford: We remain committed to reducing net migration to sustainable levels. Net migration has fallen since peaks in 2015 and 2016 and we will continue to reform our immigration routes to ensure that they work in the best interests of the country.We will shortly be publishing an Immigration White Paper which will contain the principles for our new immigration system. We are ending free movement and designing a system that will work in the national interest. We have been clear that the UK will always be open to those who bring valuable skills, experience and investment to the UK and our economy. We will continue to pursue immigration policies that are selective about who makes the greatest contribution to our country.

Cabinet Office

Emergencies: Mobile Phones

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Young of Cookham on 4 December (HL11641), which (1) department, and (2) minister, has the lead role in taking the mobile emergency alerting systems programme forward; and what assessment they have made of how other countries who have implemented such systems have resolved any issues.

lord young of cookham: Those organisations with a key role in responding to an emergency have a duty under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) to warn and inform the public. To fulfil this duty, a variety of channels are utilised including social and broadcast media and mobile alerting such as the flood warning system. Given the cross-cutting ownership of the issue, the Minister for Implementation has asked the Cabinet Office to coordinate a review on whether there is a case for a national mobile alerting scheme, working with relevant lead departments and interested parties. This work has included a review of schemes used in other countries to inform our thinking.

Treasury

Public Works Loan Board

lord lee of trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what rates of interest the Public Works Loan Board charges to local authorities; what security, if any, it requires for such loans; and what are the normal repayment terms for its loans.

lord bates: The rates of interest charged on Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) loans are determined by the UK Debt Management Office (DMO) using a methodology specified by HM Treasury (HMT) in accordance with section 5 of the National Loans Act 1968. Under section 2 of the Public Works Loans Act 1965, loans to local authorities are automatically secured on all the revenues of the local authority. The repayment terms of the loans are dependent on the type of loan and repayment method. This can be a mix of principal and interest during the life of the loan, or interest only with the entire principal repaid at the end of the term.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

TripAdvisor

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given the proposal made by Lord Beecham on 19 November 2013 (HL Deb, col GC376) to establish a panel to determine whether information identifying the name of a person posting damaging or malicious comments online should be released, particularly in relation to comments about hotel or catering services posted on TripAdvisor.

viscount younger of leckie: The Government is making important progress in tackling online safety issues through the Digital Charter, which is guided by a number of principles and whose core purpose is to make the Internet work for everyone – for citizens, businesses and society as a whole. Online anonymity is an important part of a free and open internet, providing essential protection for those who need it and allowing for many kinds of self expression and communication that would not otherwise be possible. But being anonymous online does not give anyone the right to abuse others or break the law. In the Winter, the Government will publish an Online Harms White Paper setting out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures to ensure tech companies take more responsibility for the safety of their users.

Ministry of Justice

TripAdvisor

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will encourage Ofcom to conduct a review into the application of the Defamation (Operators of Websites) Regulations 2013 to services provided by TripAdvisor in the UK.

lord keen of elie: The Defamation (Operators of Websites) Regulations 2013 set out detailed provisions regarding the operation of the defence against liability for defamation created by section 5 of the Defamation Act 2013 for website operators hosting user-generated content. It is for the parties involved to decide whether to follow the procedures specified, which are not obligatory. No information is held on how the provisions have been used in the case of individual website operators.The Ministry of Justice intends to carry out a post-implementation review of the working of the Act and the Regulations in 2019. The Government has no plans to invite Ofcom to carry out a review of the Regulations.

TripAdvisor

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the provisions of the Defamation (Operators of Websites) Regulations 2013 (1) are enforceable, and (2) have been enforced in relation to the operation of TripAdvisor in the UK.

lord keen of elie: The Defamation (Operators of Websites) Regulations 2013 set out detailed provisions regarding the operation of the defence against liability for defamation created by section 5 of the Defamation Act 2013 for website operators hosting user-generated content. It is for the parties involved to decide whether to follow the procedures specified, which are not obligatory. No information is held on how the provisions have been used in the case of individual website operators.The Ministry of Justice intends to carry out a post-implementation review of the working of the Act and the Regulations in 2019. The Government has no plans to invite Ofcom to carry out a review of the Regulations.